A moment on Wednesday night in Newcastle will surely go down in Australian sporting folklore. Donnell Wallam, who became just the third Indigenous woman to represent the Diamonds, lit up the arena as she scored a last-gasp goal with a trademark layup to seal victory over old rivals England with six seconds remaining on the clock.
The Australian bench rose as one, barely managing to keep themselves behind the sideline for those final seconds before finally they were able to storm the court and surround Wallam. Tears of joy flowed and the ‘sisters in arms’ united in celebration of this extraordinary woman.
Everything's better with Titanic music... Wallam's winner edition 🥰 pic.twitter.com/dNm4CZuTOS
— Fox Netball (@fox_netball) October 26, 2022
It had not been the build up Wallam would have wanted or expected for her international debut. She certainly never sought the public scrutiny, or the comments from those for whom netball still represents a non-contact and “ladylike” game from an archaic past. When she voiced her concerns about a sponsorship deal with Hancock Prospecting, she did so within the safe confines of the Diamonds “sisterhood” – a culture that has been built on standing by each other and respecting the voice of every player in the team, from the captain to those yet to take the court in the green and gold.
What exploded since could have been avoided with more consultation and communication – the situation could have played out behind closed doors and spared Wallam the intense public pressure of making her debut amid an unwanted media storm.
And yet she rose above and she triumphed. In an incredibly tight game, Wallam shot eight goals from eight attempts in her 10 minutes on court – including that final layup to win the game – and released the pressure that has been building over the past weeks.
“Stick to sport” is the war cry of the status quo mongers, it has been echoing through Facebook comments and Twitter replies throughout this saga and is repeated ad nauseam any time those who hold power feel the need to remind athletes that their job is merely to entertain and not to speak. It is an idea that dates back to the Roman Empire, neatly summed up in the famous phrase: “Give them bread and circuses and they will never revolt.”
In the minds of many, sportspeople are there to provide the circuses – to perform such glittering, thrilling feats of athleticism to entertain the masses and distract them from challenging the status quo. When athletes become political, it is unsettling. The simplest request from an Indigenous woman to be exempt from wearing the name of a man who made abhorrent comments about her culture and community becomes a storm that rages out of control.
Let us take it as read that sport is inherently political. Hancock Prospecting investing in sport is a political act in itself, so the statement from the company saying it considers it “unnecessary for sports organisations to be used as the vehicle for social or political causes”, just serves as a reminder that for many people, decrying politics in sport only applies when it challenges powerful people and companies.
Wallam’s performance in Newcastle, the roar of the crowd when she took the court, the outpouring of emotion from her “sisters” in her moment of victory and the videos of the moment that adorned story after story on Instagram showed that the “stick to sport” crowd has got it wrong. They are losing relevance, which shows in the way they desperately cling to this notion and swarm social media, pushing their own political causes on anyone who dares to express solidarity with athletes seeking to make change.
In that sensational 10 minutes, culminating in those joyful final seconds, Wallam showed that it is possible to stand up for what you believe in, to challenge – whether quietly or loudly – the leaders of your sport and still step out on the court and be your very best. While she was never asked to be the face of this issue and the pressure on her must have been almost unbearable, she proved to the world – and possibly to herself – that there is no need to stick to sport when you can question the status quo and be at the top of your game at the same time. In sport there is often discussion about athletes as role models and Wallam proved herself to be one of the best. Young girls – and young Indigenous girls particularly – have seen the power of passion and belief, both on and off the court.
